The Box
by LittleLadyhawke
Summary: Hmm...
1. In Deep

Author: LittleLadyhawke

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em and I make no money off 'em either.

Summary: Hmm…

Rating: PG-13 (a few harsh words spoken)

Feedback: If you want

Author's Notes: Thanks to Liz for helping me with my obsession with commas.

**The Box**

**Chapter One: In Deep**

This was not good. This was _so_ not good. What was she going to do now? How in the world was she going to explain this? For that matter, who was she going to explain it to?

Where the hell had it come from? She had only left the truck for a few minutes. Taking off her jacket she lifted the box from the floor back into the flatbed of the truck. She had to get it out of the motor pool before anyone saw, or heard, it. She ran into the other room and grabbed a handful of clean towels. She carefully placed them around the contents of the box in order to keep it from shifting as she carried it. Gently, _very gently_, she laid the last towel over the top of the box to deter any overly curious observer.

"Hey Covergirl," Clutch drawled as he sauntered into the room, "Whatcha got in the box?"

"Just some stuff I needed to pick up," she replied trying to sound far cooler than she felt.

"Uh-huh. What stuff would that be and can I watch when you put it on?" he leered.

"You're disgusting, Clutch, do you know that," she spat back at him.

"Of course I do, Sweet-bottom. What surprises me is that you don't," he grinned.

She chose that moment to grab the box and storm off with more bravado than she felt. She was almost to the door. Just a few more steps and she would be home free, at least for a little while. Just a few more steps, all she had to do was keep it cool. She put her hand on the doorknob and twisted. Her palms were sweaty in her gloves. She pulled the door open and prepared to step through.

"Not so fast," Clutch barked.

Fear ran like icy cold fingers down her spine. This was it. Somehow he knew she had something in the box. The only thing she could do was throw herself on his mercy and explain she had no idea how the box had gotten in the truck and ask him not to tell until she figured out what to do. She cringed at what a favor from Clutch would cost her. Squaring her shoulders she turned and prepared herself to do the one thing she hated…beg.

When she turned she felt the box shift. At the same moment she saw him holding out her jacket to her, "You forgot this."

"Oh, thanks. Toss it to me would you?" she asked sweetly not wanting to get any closer to him than was absolutely necessary.

"Why don't you just come over here and get it," he winked.

Realizing he had no clue she was hiding something she let out the breath she had no idea she'd been holding.

"Well Sweet-bottom, do you want it or not?" he gave a comical wiggle of his eyebrows.

"On second thought, Clutch, since you've had your grubby hands all over it, do me a big favor and burn it," she spun on her heel and stormed out.

She hurried across the walk and into the next building. When she had gotten far enough away from the motor pool, she leaned against the wall and pulled out her cell phone. She called the only people she knew would give her a hand, or at the very least some sound advice. Answer the damn phone!

"Hullo," a sleepy disembodied voice answered on the sixth ring.

"I'm in a world of shit," Covergirl shifted the box from one arm to the other.

"What time is it?" the voice was no more alert now than it was when it answered the phone.

Covergirl gave an exasperated sigh, "Is that really relevant, I just told you I'm in deep…"

"Shit, yeah I heard you," the voice replied calmly.

"Well," she squeaked and continued when it became clear the person on the other end was not going to say anything, "I need your help. Are you alone?"

"No, Jaye is here too," the voice was more alert now than it had been.

"Good tell her not to go anywhere until I get there," Covergirl shifted the box again. She saw Stalker and nodded at him when he smiled as he passed her in the hall.

"I think she's sleep," Scarlett sounded downright wary now.

"Well wake her up. I need her help too."

"Exactly how deep is this shit?"

"I'll let you see for yourself, because I'm coming over and I'm bringing it with me. I'll be there in about ten minutes," with that she cut the connection and started walking as fast as she could.

~x~x~x~x~

Scarlett stared at the ceiling in her bedroom for a few moments then rolled over and got out of bed. What in the world had Covergirl gotten into this time? She walked across the hall and knocked on Lady Jaye's door. When she didn't get an answer, she went in.

Jaye was curled into a tight ball in the middle of the bed. At least she thought the ball was Jaye. Scarlett called her again. Still no answer, but she noticed the breathing pattern had changed.

"I know you're not asleep, Jaye, so get up." she smiled and turned on the bedside lamp.

"Why?" the reply came from somewhere underneath the covers.

"Because we just had a phone call," Scarlett replied and plopped down on the bed.

"Were we called for a mission briefing?"

"No."

"Was it Flint?"

"No."

"Then as far as I'm concerned it wasn't important, so screw off," the ball under the covers shifted, "and close the damn door on your way out."

Although she was rather pleasant when she was awake, Lady Jaye was a downright bitch when her sleep was disturbed for reasons she deemed unimportant.

Scarlett smiled again, "Our wayward friend, Covergirl, has apparently gotten herself into, and I quote, 'deep shit'. She called and said she was on her way over here and was bringing it, whatever _it _is, with her."

"Tell her to get some hip waders. Besides, she's _your_ friend when she's in _deep shit_. She's my friend when it isn't so deep. So good luck with whatever _it_ is, and let me know how it all turns out," Jaye stretched and then curled back up.

Realizing she would be fighting a losing battle, Scarlett changed tactics mid-stream and used the one thing she knew would at least get her out of the bed, and that was Jaye's insatiable need to be kept in the loop.

"Well, I suppose we could do without your incessant nagging on this one. It might actually be a refreshing not having someone second-guessing everything we do. You know what, the more I think about it… you should stay in bed. Sorry to have disturbed you. We'll try not to wake you while we clean up whatever mess this is," Scarlett patted the ball of cover on the shoulder and got up to leave.

She heard the covers rustle, and turned to see Jaye's sharp eyes peering at her, "This had better be good."


	2. Coffee and Content

**The Box**

**Chapter Two: Coffee and Content**

"Dammit!" Covergirl muttered as she tried, once again, to balance the box on her hip. This thing was definitely heavier than it looked. Her nerves were shot. She had to get this inside without being detected. No mean feat when it seemed like every Joe in the world passed her in the various corridors she was trying desperately to navigate.

She'd almost lost it completely when a well-meaning Roadblock offered to carry the box for her. No doubt, after her extreme reaction, the poor man thought she had lost all her marbles. She would make it up to him. Just not right now.

"Hey! Covergirl!"

She froze. In all that was holy, please no! Not now. Maybe if she kept walking he would think she didn't hear him. She heard her name again, and then heard rapid footsteps approaching her from behind. Go away, go away!

"Hey you. Didn't you hear me calling you?" Shipwreck asked as he caught up to her.

"Uh, no, I guess I was lost in thought," she replied.

"Thinking about me has been known to have that effect on women," he winked.

"That's probably because they are thinking of how to get away," she bit out.

"So, are you gonna finally gimme a kiss today?"

"Sure, Shipwreck, give me a twenty," she sneered.

"Twenty? When I asked you last week, it was a ten," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill, "and now I finally have the cash!"

"Inflation's a bitch ain't she?" she laughed.

He smiled and then looked at the box, "Whatcha got in the box?"

"Tampons. Great big ones. You know, the super absorbent kind, enough to last the whole winter. I'm on my way to drop off a supply to Lady Jaye and Scarlett. Wanna see?" she smiled innocently.

"Er…well, um…You know, I think I hear Duke calling me. Gotta run!" he all but left skid marks in his haste to get away.

Worked every time.

~x~x~x~x~

She turned the final corner, and the door she had been looking for came into sight. She felt herself relax a little. She was contemplating how she was going to knock on the door and balance the box, when the door swung open.

"I have never been happier to see you than I am right now! I feel like I'm walking through the Pearly Gates!" she said to Lady Jaye as she all but staggered in.

"Well, since we all know that's something that will never happen, feel free to take the time to enjoy the experience," Lady Jaye replied dryly.

"Hardy-damn-har," Covergirl shot back at her as she gently laid the box on the couch. When she was sure it wouldn't tip over, she looked around. "Where's Scarlett?"

"In the kitchen making that sludge she tries to pass off as coffee," Lady Jaye gestured toward the back.

"If you don't like it, don't drink it," Scarlett appeared balancing three mugs of what could, only in the loosest of terms, be called coffee.

"_Drink_ it? No dear, we don't drink your coffee, we eat it," Lady Jaye replied as if she were talking to a small not-too-bright child.

"My goodness, someone is cranky. Does widdle wady jaye need her binky?" Scarlett smiled.

Normally, Covergirl enjoyed the banter between the two women, but now was just not the time.

"Focus! I need you two to _fo-cus_. I am having a coronary over here and you two are talking about the merits, or lack there of, of Scarlett's coffee. We all know it tastes like she puts turpentine in it!" Covergirl whispered harshly.

"I only use it for the color," Scarlett pouted prettily.

"Don't make me kill you," Covergirl ground out.

"You could try," Scarlett plopped down in a chair.

"Shoot her; it'll save you time and a headache, Covergirl." Lady Jaye advised her.

"Fo-cus!" Covergirl screeched.

"So, is that the shit you said you're knee deep in?" Scarlett nodded toward the box sitting ominously on the couch.

"Yes," Covergirl sighed relieved they were finally on the right topic of discussion.

"Well, what is it?" Lady Jaye inquired.

Covergirl walked over to the box and removed the towel she had lightly placed over it. Looking at it now it didn't seem so bad, but what the hell was she going to do with it. It was over 30 miles back to town, and it had already started to snow like crazy. No way was she going to get this back to town in that weather, and Hawk had already called everyone back to base due to the inclement weather.

She turned back to the two women in the room, and hesitantly gestured to the box.

Lady Jaye looked at Scarlett, and walked over to peer inside, Scarlett not too far behind.

Both women stood looking at the contents of the box for what seemed like hours to Covergirl, but was probably only a matter of seconds.

Lady Jaye smiled as Scarlett turned to her and said what she already knew: "You, Covergirl, are well and truly in some seriously deep shit."


	3. Apples and Stems

**The Box**

**Chapter Three: Apples and Stems**

"Well?" Covergirl croaked.

"Well what?" Lady Jaye replied not taking her eyes from the contents of the box.

"Well…I mean…what are you two thinking?" she stammered.

"_I'm_ thinking you're in deep sh…," Scarlett started.

"Shit, yeah I know. I meant what are you thinking besides that? I mean, what should I do?" Covergirl grimaced.

Lady Jaye thought a moment, "Well for starters, you should take it out of the box, so we can see exactly what _it _is."

Covergirl gave her a puzzled look, "Well, we know what it is, it's a…"

"I know good and damn well _what_ it is but we need to see what it _is_."Lady Jaye all but snarled.

Scarlett looked at Covergirl and gave a slight shrug.

Scarlett picked up the contents of the box and held it slightly away from her body, "Well, there's only one real way to tell what we have here."

Covergirl breathed a sigh of relief and waved a hand toward Scarlett, "Ok, so go ahead and see. I'll just stand over here and watch." She backed away. Now that she had it here, she wasn't sure she wanted to get much more involved than she already had. Besides, if her memory served her correctly, Scarlett and Lady Jaye were both better equipped to handle this particular situation; albeit only slightly, but better equipped none the less. Her relief was short lived, however.

"OK, come over here and take a peak at the bottom and tell me what you see," Scarlett gestured toward Covergirl.

"Or don't," Lady Jaye snorted.

"What?! Why me? Lady Jaye's closer to you than I am." Covergirl squeaked.

"Because until we figure out what to do, this is your little bundle of joy, and Jaye and I are just aunties. So come over here and take a look down the little diaper and tell us what we're dealing with here," Scarlett bounced the wide eyed, sex-as-yet-to-be-determined, baby.

Covergirl gingerly patted the back of the diaper. What was she supposed to feel? There was nothing but padding in there. There was no way she could tell what sex the baby was. She looked over at Lady Jaye in silent askance.

"If you can't tell, Mommy, take it off," Lady Jaye smiled at her.

She silently loosened the little adhesive fasteners on one side of the diaper, as she wondered what she had done in her past life that would put her squarely in the middle of this fresh hell. A baby! A baby of all things! Why couldn't she have stumbled across a sack of money, a bag of diamonds, anything but a baby!

"Well, is there a stem on this apple or not?" Scarlett inquired.

Cover Girl gave her a quizzical look before her meaning set in, "Oh…umm…no stem."

"Well, at least we know something now," Lady Jaye quipped.

"We don't know the important part," Scarlett commented. "We have no idea where this child came from or who she belongs to."

"Town," Cover girl replied absently.

"What?"

"Town, she came from town," Covergirl's laugh had a slight hysterical edge to it.

"Ok then. Now we have a solution. All you have to do is go back and hand her off to the proper authorities. You'll be back within an hour and no one will be the wiser. Problem solved." Lady Jaye retorted sounding pleased with herself.

"We can't do that," Covergirl sank down in a chair.

"Why the hell not?" Lady Jaye yelled.

"The weather," Covergirl absently waved a hand toward the window.

Lady Jaye snatched the drapes on the window out of the way and was greeted with the sight of fat snowflakes swirling past the window, "Well hell then!"

She began to pace. Classic Lady Jaye behavior when her quick thinking was thwarted. It was just a matter of time before she fired off another idea; one that was bound to be shot down as well, which would send her into a rage with no Flint in sight to get his genie back in her bottle. Before it could get that far, Scarlett knew she had to step in. As she began to try to come up with a way to head her off at the pass, the solution hit Scarlett; right in the nose. Someone had a stinky diaper.

"Oh sweetie, what have you done in there?" Scarlett looked at the baby who gave her a toothless grin in return.

"What? What's she done?" Cover Girl's head shot up from where she had been cradling it in her hands.

"Something unholy by the smell," Scarlett wrinkled her nose.

Lady Jaye was still pacing and muttering to herself when the smell got to her. "Oh my goodness! What has the kid been eating?"

"She doesn't look like she's more than a few months old, so I'm gonna say milk, formula, something like that." Scarlett held the baby gingerly as she looked in the box with the hope someone had included at least a diaper and some formula. No such luck. "I think the more pressing problem here is the lack of diapers."

"Oh my giddy aunt," Cover Girl put her head back in her hands and closed her eyes.


	4. What's Up Doc?

**The Box**

**Chapter 4: What's Up Doc?**

"Here, try this," Lady Jaye tossed a clean dish towel at Covergirl.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

"Use it as a diaper," was Lady Jaye's reply as she disappeared into the bathroom.

"A diaper? This is _not_ a diaper. We need Huggies, or Pampers, or…or…something _else_," Covergirl waved the towel at Lady Jaye as she returned with an armful of supplies from the bathroom.

"Well, seeing as we can't just hop on down to the nearest grocery store or pharmacy, to _get_ some _Pampers_ or _Huggies_, that towel will just have to do now won't it," Lady Jaye deposited the items on the coffee table. She then turned and took the now cooing baby girl from Scarlett and handed her to Covergirl. "Now, substitute mommy, time for you to learn to change a diaper."

Covergirl cringed, "Change a diaper? Maybe this is not such a good idea. I don't know if I can…I mean what if I hurt her or something?"

"Short of dropping her, I don't think you'll do too much damage," Scarlett got up and started to head out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Covergirl squeaked.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back," Scarlett smiled at the other woman's stricken expression.

She heard Lady Jaye quietly instruct Covergirl, "Now, try to stay calm. Babies can sense when you're upset or unsure. If she senses that from you she's gonna start crying the place down, and then you're secret will definitely be out. Now here's what you want to do…"

Scarlett started to wash the few dishes in the sink. It wasn't until she was done that she realized she had zoned out for a moment. Then, it struck her that there was no telling how long the poor thing had been out in the elements before Covergirl got back to the truck and then there was the ride back to base. It was a wonder she hadn't been wailing when Covergirl discovered her. They needed to make sure the poor thing was OK. They were going to have to get her to see Doc. She knew Lady Jaye would be on board, but Covergirl was going to hit the roof. Oh well, it had to be done.

When she walked back into the living room, the sight that greeted her was unexpected to say the least. Lady Jaye sat in the chair with a smug smile on her face, as the newly changed baby girl gurgled at Covergirl who was holding her in her arms.

"Well, wonders never cease," Scarlett quipped as she smiled at Covergirl, who gave her a smile in return. It was a shame she was about to make her nervous all over again.

Lady Jaye caught the look in Scarlett's eye, "What? What is that look?"

"We need to take the baby to see Doc," She help up her hand before Covergirl could voice an objection. "We have no idea how long she was out in that weather, nor if there is anything physically wrong with her. She needs to be checked out by a doctor."

Covergirl looked at Lady Jaye who nodded her agreement.

"Ok," she sighed. "How are we going to get her there without being seen?"

"The same way you got her here I suppose," Lady Jaye answered.

~x~x~x~x~

Doc looked over the rim of his glasses as he registered the brisk knock on his office door. The one time he had opportunity to read the latest copy of "Scientific America" someone decides to knock on his door.

"Enter," he barked.

He looked up as not one, but three heads popped around the door jam. Well, this was new. Normally he had to hunt Joes down to get them to come to his office for anything and now he had three all at once. His left eye started to twitch. A sure sign this was not going to be a routine visit. Considering not only were all three of his "visitors" women, but some of the most notorious dodgers of physicals and check ups on the base, and now here they were all in his office at the same time.

"Hi, Doc. Got a minute?" Lady Jaye asked.

"Of course." When no one said anything after a moment, he continued, "How can I help you ladies?"

"There's something we need you to take a look at. Can we go into the exam room?" Lady Jaye, obviously the spokeswoman here, answered once again.

"Ok," he replied slowly and came around his desk. It was then he registered the box Covergirl was carrying. The twitch in his eye got stronger. Nope, definitely not good.

He followed them into the exam room and watched in silence as Covergirl placed the box on the table and reached in. What she pulled out caused the twitch to turn in to a full blown throb.

"Whose..." was as far as he got before Scarlett and Lady Jaye both pointed to Covergirl.

He tried to remember when the last time he'd seen Covergirl for a physical. He was damned sure if she had been pregnant, he would have caught that one! Without saying another word, he went back into his office to pull her file. No way! No way! Someone would have noticed. Then he remembered that show he watched a few weeks back about several women, and the people around them, who didn't know they were going to have babies. Where the hell was her file? No way he missed it. If he had, he vowed he would eat his left shoe, sock and all.

As they heard Doc slamming file cabinet drawers, and muttering to himself, the three women looked at one another and shrugged.

Eureka! He found it. He started flipping through the pages in her file. No, the last blood work he had done on her came back fine. No anomalies or abnormalities. Pregnancy tests were required for all female soldiers and hers was…

"Negative!" he shouted as he reentered the room and shoving the file under Covergirl's nose. "Krieger, Courtney A., pregnancy test negative!"

"Of course it was," Covergirl backed away from him and held the now sleeping infant a little tighter.

"Then what the hell…? Whose…? Start from the damn beginning," he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Well, it's like this Doc," Scarlett started but was cut off by a raised hand.

"Not you. Her," he stopped and looked at both Scarlett and Lady Jaye before he continued, "Unless I need to look at one of your files."

Both women vigorously shook their heads.

"Good. Now Covergirl, let's have it. And I mean all of it," he said sternly.

Covergirl sighed and began to relate her tale to Doc, not leaving anything out.

When she was done, he looked over the rim of his glasses and nodded in the direction of Scarlett and Lady Jaye, "And you took the child to them before coming to see me because?"

"I panicked," she squeaked.

He sighed and stood, "Ok then. Go on ahead and put her on the table for me. Let's get this little lady checked out."

It took him a little under 15 minutes to weigh, measure, and check that the baby was in good health.

"As far as I can tell she's just fine," Doc reported as he tickled the baby's tummy and was rewarded with a gummy smile. Smiling back he stood up from the stool he had sat on for the examination. "I'll go on ahead and give Hawk a call and let him know the situation…"

"No!" the three women said in unison.

"No?" he questioned. "There is no _no_ about it. I _have_ to tell him. For goodness sake, you have a baby which, may I remind you, is not yours on a military base. He needs to be informed so he can contact the proper authorities and hopefully get this little girl back home."

He reached for the phone and Covergirl grabbed his hand, "Please Doc. I'm already in enough trouble with him as it is. This is liable to be the straw that breaks the camel's back." She continued when he remained unmoved, "Look, there isn't anything he can do this evening and in this weather no one will be able to come out here and get her much less make it back with her. I promise I will take her back as soon as the weather clears and turn her in to the local authorities. I'll use a tank if I have to, but please Doc, _do not tell Hawk_!"

Doc looked at her for a long moment. He sighed and shook his head, "Well, I did tell him to relax and keep his stress levels down. This would definitely count as stress. But, if you can't get her back into town when the weather breaks, I _will_ tell him."

"Ok. Thank you so much Doc," she smiled as she settled the sleeping infant back into the box and covered it gently.

"Um…you wouldn't happen to have any formula floating around would you?" Scarlett asked sheepishly.

"Pushing it," he looked over his glasses again. He then took out a notepad and started writing on it, "Here, if you can get these ingredients, you can make an emergency baby formula for her."

He handed the piece of paper to Scarlett.

"Thanks so much, Doc," Scarlett smiled.

He nodded and looked at Covergirl, "When the weather permits." He then turned his attention to Lady Jaye, "Keep them out of trouble if you can, hmm?"

Lady Jaye winked, "Absolutely."

When the three women had left, he settled back behind his desk to finish the article he had been reading.

His left eye was no longer twitching.


	5. Of Formula and Flint

**The Box**

**Chapter Five: Of Formula and Flint**

They made it back with no incidents and all breathed a sigh of relief when they were safely behind closed doors again. Covergirl removed her ward from the box and settled back in the chair. She looked at the sleeping bundle in her arms. Doc mentioned she was about four or five months old during his examination. She was kinda cute, soft downy curls the color of fudge and her little eyes were an expressive hazel. She was so sweet natured that someone had to be missing her right now. She knew if this were her baby…Whoa! Where had that thought come from?

"She needs to eat," Lady Jaye said as she plopped down on the couch opposite.

"She's fine," Covergirl murmured. "She's still sound asleep."

"Yeah, but ten to one when she wakes up she's gonna be ready for some food. If she doesn't have any, she's gonna let everyone know she's not happy with the service around here," came Scarlett's wry reply.

With that, she got up and went to the phone.

"Who are you calling?" Covergirl looked up sharply.

"Relax. I'm calling in a favor," Scarlett gave the other woman a reassuring smile.

She dialed a number and waited as it rang a few times before a deep gravelly voice came on the line. She made him promise not to say anything about what she was about to tell him. When he agreed, as she knew he would, she related the short but no less pitiful, story to him. She then read to him the list of items Doc had written down earlier. He told her not to worry, he would take care of it and be there as soon as possible.

"Never fear, emergency baby formula is on its way," she joined the other ladies.

They settled into a comfortable silence as they watched the baby sleep. The minutes ticked by and then there was a knock at the door. Scarlett jumped up and went to answer it. She was relieved the ingredients for the formula would be here when the baby woke.

"You are a life saver…" she trailed off when she saw Flint instead of the man she was expecting.

"So I've been told," he grinned.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out.

"I came to drop this off for Lady Jaye," he held up a book.

"I'll see to it she gets it," Scarlett snatched the book and closed the door with a decisive thud.

She made it a few steps back into the room when there knocking started again.

"Who is it?" lady Jaye mouthed.

"Flint," Scarlett returned.

The knocking became more persistent.

"He's not going to go away, you know," Lady Jaye stood up.

"Covergirl, go into my bedroom and shut the door," Scarlett whispered.

When she and the baby were safely out of the room, Scarlett snatched open the door, "What?"

"What was that all about?" Flint shouldered his way into the room.

"You handle this," Scarlett gave Lady Jaye a pointed look.

"Scarlett is in a foul mood today. You know how it goes. Why don't we go for a walk and let her be for a while," Lady Jaye held her breath and hoped that explanation would satisfy him.

He seemed about to argue, then thought better of it and decided that perhaps a walk would be good. Scarlett's tempers were legendary and he had no desire to be on the receiving end of one. And if he got Lady Jaye alone, all the better.

"Uh… sure, that sounds great," he started backing up toward the door. "I hope you feel better soon Scarlett."

He received a grunt in acknowledgement.

Lady Jaye opened the door just as Roadblock had his hand poised to knock.

"I got here as soon as I could. Took me a few minutes to find everything Scarlett asked for," he said as he lifted the bags he'd been holding and entered. He headed straight for the kitchen to start getting the ingredients ready to make the formula.

"Well, you two have stuff to do, so we'll leave you to it," Lady Jaye grabbed Flint's arm and tugged him toward the door. She was about to hustle him safely out into the hallway when the first wail split the air.

"Damn," Scarlett muttered.

Lady Jaye closed her eyes and hoped Flint didn't hear it over the racket Roadblock was making in the kitchen. When she opened her eyes he was looking right back at her. So much for hoping.

"What was that?" Flint asked.

No one answered immediately.

"I must have left the TV on in my bedroom," Scarlett answered.

"Oh…ok," he didn't quite believe it, but there really was no other explanation. He turned to follow Lady Jaye out the door, when the wail came again, and this time he was sure it was not a TV.

"Is that a baby? Do you have a baby in here?" He looked at Scarlett who stared straight ahead and offered no answer. He looked at Roadblock who turned and opened the fridge, and then Lady Jaye who just shrugged.

There was another wail and he headed for the door. It was locked. He turned and speared Lady Jaye with a look. She sighed and moved toward the door.

"Come on out Covergirl. We've been busted," she said.

The lock clicked and Covergirl peered out, "Hi Flint. How's it going?"

"Out," he moved away from the door.

She came out and the baby gave another ear splitting cry, and this time didn't stop.

"What is a baby doing here?" Flint asked loud enough to be heard over the very upset baby Covergirl was doing her best to shush.

"At the moment? She's crying." Scarlett answered wryly.

"Not in the mood, Red," Flint glared at her.

"Here we go, dinner is served little one," Roadblock crooned as he brought the homemade formula over in a honey bottle shaped like a bear. Covergirl looked at him quizzically. "Well, I don't carry a stock of baby bottles," he said sheepishly.

"This will work fine I think," she replied. The baby grew quiet as she began to suckle on the substitute bottle.

"Now that we can all hear each other, someone please explain to me what the hell is going on," Flint said as he tried to keep his temper in check.

"Well, it's like this…," and for the third time that day Covergirl related her tale, including their visit to Doc as well as Scarlett's call to Roadblock.

"And Doc agreed not to say anything about this to Hawk if you got the baby back to the proper authorities as soon as the weather cleared up?" he asked as soon as Covergirl was done relating her version of events.

"Yes. He promised not to tell Hawk. Please Flint, promise you won't tell him either," she pleaded.

"No, I won't tell him," Flint said. Covergirl smiled and was about to thank him when he continued, "You're gonna tell him."

The room went silent. Even the baby stopped enjoying her meal.

"Aw come on Flint. What's the harm?" Roadblock spoke to him directly for the first time.

"What's the harm? Are you kidding? Am I the only one here that gets that there is a baby on base? A _baby, _people! Come on!" he slapped his hand on the counter.

The noise startled the baby and she began to cry.

"Now look what you've done!" Covergirl frowned at him.

"Way to go Flint, you've frightened a baby," Scarlett sniffed.

Roadblock folded his arms and grunted.

Flint turned to Lady Jaye sure he would find some sympathy. She glared at him.

"Look I didn't mean to scare her. I was…am…ah hell," he trailed off as it was clear he was now firmly the bad guy in the room.

"Well you did," Lady Jaye continued to glower at him.

He walked over to Covergirl and looked at the crying little baby in her arms. He ran a finger down her cheek. She was a soft little thing. He touched her cheek again and she stopped crying. Her eyes opened and she gave him a gummy smile.

"Beep," he said as he poked her nose. She smiled and gurgled at him. He went to poke her nose again and she grabbed his finger and immediately started to suck on it.

"Oh yuck. Don't do that sweetie. You have no idea where that man has been," Scarlett quipped.

"Hey, she knows a good thing when she sees it," Flint smiled at her and extracted his now slimy finger from her grasp. He moved away to sit on the arm of the couch. As soon as he was out of her sight, she started to cry again.

"What's wrong with her now?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe she's still hungry," Covergirl tried to give her the bottle again, but she was having none of it.

"Have you tried to burping her?" Roadblock asked.

"How do you do that?" She asked

"You put her over your shoulder and pat her back," Flint answered.

Once again he found himself the center of everyone's attention. "What? I have been around babies before."

Covergirl walked over and handed the baby to him, "You burp her then."

As soon as the baby caught sight of him she stopped crying. She looked up at him for a moment and then gave him another toothless grin. Flint smiled and gently placed her small body over his shoulder and proceeded to pat her tiny back. After a few moments his effort was rewarded and she gave a very distinct baby burp.

"See, nothing to it," he handed the baby back to Covergirl, and no sooner than she left his arms she started to cry again.

"Now what?" He looked perplexed.

"I think, perhaps, it's you," Scarlett supplied. "I think she's taken with you."

"What? That's crazy. She's a baby!" He said.

"Is it?" Lady Jaye asked.

He shot her a look that said yes, it indeed was.

"Tell you what, take her back from Covergirl and see if she stops crying," Lady Jaye challenged.

Covergirl handed the child back to him and sure enough the crying stopped and he found himself on the receiving end of another smile accompanied by baby babble.

"Oh this is priceless," Scarlett laughed.

"What's her name?" Roadblock asked once he could control his laughter.

The laughter died down, and everyone looked at each other. It had never occurred to anyone up to this point that they didn't know her name.

"We don't know," Lady Jaye supplied.

"Well, we have to call her something while she's here," Roadblock suggested.

"Hmm….how about Laura?" Scarlett suggested.

"No, she doesn't look like a Laura. How about Olivia? She looks like an Olivia" Roadblock peered at the baby in Flint's arms.

"I'm not seeing Olivia. I'm thinking Lucy," Covergirl suggested pleased with herself.

"Lucy? Not a chance. I like Ella," Lady Jaye supplied.

"She's none of those. She's a Marissa. Definitely a Marissa," Flint supplied in a tone that brooked no arguments.

"Marissa Fairborne. You may want to remember that in the future," Scarlett whispered to Lady Jaye.

"What the hell are you talking about, you wingnut?" she snorted.

"I'm just saying is all," Scarlett smiled.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess that he's not gonna be telling Hawk about our "Little Marissa"," Roadblock chuckled as they watched Flint and the newly, if temporarily, christened Marissa babble back and forth to one another.


	6. A Picture's Worth

**The Box**

**Chapter Six: A Picture's Worth**

The rest of the night passed in a blur of activity. The five adults took turns changing, feeding, and burping little Marissa and keeping her as quiet and happy as possible.

A couple of hours after dawn, Covergirl went out to check the weather and to see if any of the roads may be passable. To her surprise the sun was shining and the day was warmer than she expected. By early afternoon she figured she would be able to get to town and see if she could reunite Marissa with her family.

She exhaled heavily. It had been less that 24 hours, and she realized she had grown quite attached to the little mite. But more than that, she realized five very different people could successfully look after one tiny little baby. She had learned to change a diaper, or rather dish towel from Lady Jaye. She learned to make emergency baby formula from Roadblock. Through Flint, she had learned entertain and burp a baby. Oddly enough, she had learned that Scarlett could sing when she sang the baby a lullaby to help her get to sleep. It was a little sad she wouldn't remember any of them when she got older.

"I'm sure her family is worried about her," Scarlett said as she came up beside her.

"Geez! You need to let people know when you're coming up behind them like that," Covergirl grumped.

"I did. You must have been lost in thought," Scarlett yawned.

"I was. I was thinking what if someone put her in that box on purpose to get rid of her? What if she doesn't have a family that wants or loves her?" Covergirl sniffed.

"Well, if that's the case, she'll be placed in foster care. She's a beautiful healthy baby, and her chances of getting adopted are really good," Scarlett replied. "I know what you're thinking, but you can't keep her, Courtney. You just can't."

"I know. It would be nice though, wouldn't it?" Covergirl smiled at her friend.

"Yeah, but not just yet," Scarlett smiled back.

They were about to head back inside when Doc appeared around the corner.

"Good morning. I was just coming to take another look at my newest patient, if that's OK?" he gave another one of his rare smiles.

"Sure is. I'm thinking I should be able to get her back early this afternoon," Covergirl replied.

They went back inside and Doc accompanied them. When Scarlett opened the door, they were assailed with what smelled suspiciously like pancakes and bacon. God bless Roadblock.

Little Marissa was where she obviously preferred to be; perched on Flint's knee babbling at any and everyone.

After Marissa had had her second check up in as many days, everyone enjoyed a quick breakfast.

"Before you all go your separate ways for the day and I take Marissa back, I think we should give her something to remember us by," Covergirl suggested quietly. "I think we should take a picture and send it along with her. I mean that way she'll…," she trailed off.

"I think that's a great idea!" Doc was the first to speak. "That way no matter where she is she can remember her aunties and uncles."

Lady Jaye went and got her digital camera and set it up across the room. Meanwhile everyone positioned themselves on the couch surrounding the baby that had wrapped them all around her little fingers in less than a day. When the timer was set, she joined the others. After the picture was taken, she set about printing off a copy to send with Covergirl and the baby.

They each signed the back and Lady Jaye wrote in the date. They each set about saying goodbye to her and went their separate ways, albeit reluctantly. I was especially touching to see Roadblock hold the tiny little girl in his arms and give her a tender kiss on her forehead.

Once again, it was just the three women and the baby.

"Well. I guess I had better get going. Flint said he would keep the guys in the motor pool busy so I could slip out," Covergirl sighed.

"You want us to come with you?" Lady Jaye offered.

"No, that's ok. I'll be fine," Covergirl smiled weakly.

She placed "Marissa" back in the box and gently covered it with the towel. By now it was a familiar thing to the baby, so she didn't fuss. She lifted the box and with one last smile at he friends, she left and closed the door gently behind her.

Flint was true to his word, and the motor pool was empty when she arrived. She gently placed the box on the floor of the passenger side of the vehicle. Wishing, not for the first time, she had a proper car seat. She rounded the vehicle and got in. She hesitated for a moment and then turned the key in the ignition.

~x~x~x~x~

"And you see Sheriff Brundle, that's pretty much what happened," Covergirl had just finished relating her story for a fourth time when there was a commotion outside the office.

She turned and saw, through the open door, a frantic couple and a little boy headed in her direction. Instinct told her this was "Marissa's" family. She stood slowly with the baby cradled in her arms. The woman ran towards her with her arms outstretched. The man half carried half dragged the little boy along with him.

"My Audrey! My little Audrey!" she wailed as Covergirl quickly handed the child to her mother. "Thank you, thank you so very much."

"You're…uh…welcome. It was my pleasure to look after Mar…er…Audrey," Covergirl stammered. "I am curious, Mrs…"

"Fowler. Theresa Fowler. This is my husband Ronald and our son Ron Jr." she introduced the rest of her family.

"I'm curious Mr. and Mrs. Fowler as to how Mar…Audrey came to be in the back of my truck," she asked.

The sheriff cleared his through and Mr. Fowler gave his son a stern look.

"Our son put her there," he answered. "He's jealous of his younger sister and decided if he got her a new family, things would go back to the way they were."

_What a little brat!_ Covergirl thought to herself, but held her tongue.

"Now Ron, tell this nice lady you're sorry for all the trouble you caused her," Mrs. Fowler urged her son.

"You should have kept her! Now you've ruined everything!" the boy yelled at Covergirl.

"Ronny!" both his parent yelled in unison.

"How about Ronny and I have a little chat by ourselves?" Covergirl smiled sweetly.

His parents looked at each other and then at the sheriff who merely shrugged.

"Great, we'll be right back," Covergirl grabbed the boy's arm and all but dragged him back into the office and closed the door.

They came out a few moments later and the boy went directly to his parents and apologized. He then kissed his little sister on the cheek and offered the sheriff his hand in apology. The three adults stared at her and she smiled and gave a little shrug.

"Well, take care," she bent down and picked up the box and the little towel she had used as a cover.

"Um…Ms.," Mr. Fowler started

"Courtney will do fine," she offered.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" he offered.

"Actually there is," she said as she remembered the picture she had placed in the box earlier. "Would you mind keeping this and giving it to her when she's older."

She handed the picture to the parents.

"She came to mean a lot to us all and we wanted he to have that," she smiled.

"Of course we'll save it for her. That way when we tell her all about her little adventure she'll have the proof," Mrs. Fowler smiled.

"It's the least we can do for all you've done," Mr. Fowler commented.

"Really, it was not a problem." She kissed Audrey on the forehead, and then gave Ron Jr. appointed look, "Don't forget what we talked about."

"N-n-no ma'am," he stammered.

"Good boy," she winked.

"Ok sheriff, if that's all you need from me, I'll be off," she said briskly.

"Sure. I'll walk you out," he fell into step beside her. "What exactly did you say to that boy?"

"I made sure he understood that his sister has some pretty tough aunts and uncles who are not going to tolerate any more of his shenanigans. I believe he well and truly got my point. If he gives you any trouble, you know where to find me," she winked and then swung herself up into the vehicle.

~x~x~x~x~

For some reason, the drive back to base had never seemed this long before. When she arrived back in her quarters, Covergirl sat down on the couch and looked around. She looked at the box lying next to her on the couch. She didn't even know why she had brought it back with her. Yeah, actually she did. She reached into the box and pulled out the towel, she folded it into a neat square and then placed it inside. She rose from the couch and walked over to the closet, and gently placed it on the floor toward the back.


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

As first dates go, tonight had been just plain awful. Jimmy Walther was a jerk, a first class jerk! And, jerks, she realized, were not to be cried over. She wiped her tears and crawled off the bed. She opened the cedar chest at the foot of her bed and pulled out the one item guaranteed to make her feel better no matter what.

She had heard the story dozens of times, and she loved it each and every time. Well all except for the part where Ronny J. had put her on the back of a truck. That was a really crappy thing for a big brother to do.

She had no real memories of the people in the picture, but she always felt close to them, and she knew they had taken great care of her. She often wondered if they thought of her. She was sure they did, because she always thought of them. Although all she had were their first names and a date, she knew one day she would see them again. She smiled at the thought.

She climbed back up on her bed carrying the framed picture with her.

"Good night Aunties Courtney, Alison, and Shana. Goodnight Uncles Dash, Marvin and Carl. Sleep well," Audrey Fowler whispered as she drifted off to sleep.


End file.
